Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-08-24

A Story of the First Nugget Ever Found
in California.

A Story of the First Nugget Ever Found
in California.
An authentic history of the first
gold nugget found in California is
something that has not, / believe,
been given to the public, says San
Francisco letter. A Mr.. Allen, OF this
city, has in his possession what he
positively affirms to be the original
gold nugget found in 1848 by Marshall
and Wemmer in the tail-race OF the
Colma sawmill. Mr.. Allen has held
the valuable relic in trust for the
Wemmers for the past ten years. His
story is interesting, and I give it in his
own words: "In the year 1877 Twas
engaged rs an attorney by some set
tiers in g. disputed land case IN the
southern portion of Los Angeles
County. While in that section l met
an old man named Peter Wemmer,
bent almost double with age, but
whose mind and memory were slngu-
larly clear. found him to be an ex-
ceedingly interesting character, and as
our friendship ripened he told ethat
he was with Marshall when he picked
up the famous gold nugget. He added,
con6dentially, that his wife still had
the nugget in her possession. | at
once became interested, and q
few days later drove out to
Wemmer's place. There we saw Mrs.
Wemmer, who, like her husband, was
far advanced in years. | explained
my mission, and Mrs. Wemmer be-
came somewhat excited when she
learned of it. Finally / prevailed up
on her to let me see the nugget. She
unbuttoned the bosom of her dress,
and drew out a bundle Of cloth
wrapped tight, which hung suspended
by string around her neck. The old
woman, trembling with excitement,
proceeded to unwrap the bundle.
Roll after roll was unwound and final
ly she reached tightly. folded stock
ing; this she slowly and anxiously un-
did until she reached hard substance
which she finally laid in the palm of
my hand. 1t was the nugget, q small,
almost fat and rather rough piece OF
gold, just one inch across its longest
way. 1t was quite thin around the
outward hange, with g. considerable
depression on one side. Itweighed be-
tween third and g. quarter OF an
ounce and contained $5.O5 worth OF
gold.
"'Wife has carried that around her
neck day and night for over twenty
years. said Mr.. Wemmer, 'and l guess
you are the first she has ever let see
it.
"Mrs. Wemmer begged me take the
nugget with me and put it in a bank
Or safe. She said she was almost
afraid to keep so valuable relic longer
herself. took it and it has been with
me ever since.
''The Wemmers crossed the plains
to California in 1916; while living at
Suffers mill they made the acqualnt-
ance of James Marshall, and Col. SUIT
ter suggested to Wenlmer and Mar
shall the project of building q saw
mill on the American River. They
accepted. Wemmer was millwright
and Marshall was foreman. Mrs.
Wemmer was cook, and all the men
employed in the mill boarded with
her. A dam was first built across the
river and sluice run from it. In
digging out the river bed for the mill
the dam would be closed and the dirt
would be shoveled into the sluice. At
night the water would be turned on
and the earth washed away. 1t was
not long before numbers Of bright
specks were noticed sticking in the
crevices of the sluice in the morning
when the water was 5urned off, and g.
discussion arose as to what these
bright specks were.
s'Mrs. Wemmer had lived for some
time near g. Georgia gold mine and she
pronounced them to be gold. This
theory was pooh-poohed by Marshall.
But one morning he ano Wemmer
were walking down the tail-race when
he suddenly picked up something from
the box and asked " emmer what it
was. Wemmer examined it and said
that it certainly was gold. At that
moment Wemmer's boy, q lad of 10
or IL, came up, and Wemmer gave
him the nugget, telling him to take it
to his mother and tell her to boil it in
the soap kettle. Mrs. Wemmer was
at that time making soft soap, and
she threw the nugget into the boiling
mixture. The next morning it was
taken from the caldron and examined
by the men at the breakfast table. 1t
was not blackened, but more FURNISH
ed by the test. Even then Marshall
had doubts, but Wemmer insisted
that some one should take the mug
get to the fort at Sacramento, sixty
miles distant, and Marshall finally
consented to GO. The rest of the story
is part of the worlds history"